Arvind Kejriwal mocks Swachh Bharat Mission

NEW DELHI: As the Centre marked the first anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made use of the occasion to mock the campaign. The Aam Aadmi Party leader also expressed dismay over what he said the Centre’s decision to not officially celebrate Lal Bahadur Shastri’s birthday, which falls on the same day.

“Not a single lane in this country has felt the impact of this (Swachh Bharat Mission). There should be less talk and more work,” Kejriwal said. “Some people sing songs of Swachh Bharat. Singing songs doesn’t help, nor does a photo-op of you cleaning a street, once a year.”

He was speaking at the inauguration of a toilet block in a slum. Ten such blocks with 350 toilets were inaugurated by the Delhi government on Friday. While the Delhi CM’s own events also included photo-ops, he was careful to share details of the government’s performance record on public sanitation and hygiene, the issues that Swachh Bharat is also meant to tackle. As many as 750 toilets were constructed in the past six months and many more will be readied before March, he said.